In the streets, people everywhere were drinking and there was so much noise that it was hard to believe it was night.
In every tent, lights lit up the place as if it were daytime, and red-faced soldiers could often be seen having a good time. We were also having a simple dinner in a small bar.
Those present were Marianne, Luvue, the vice-captain, Monica, Kaede, Frau and me.
I invited Naomin to the party, but she refused, saying she had to introduce herself as a princess.
She seems to be a very capable princess who does her job well. The whole thing felt like some kind of joke.
«âŠSo, Marianne. You didnât get caught in the transfer circle?»
«Yes, it was a blessing in disguise in all the tragedy. Though itâs not a situation I can be happy about, considering that five of my friends are missing, except Luna.»
«Cheer up, Marianne. Weâll do our best to find them.»
«You are very kind, Kaede-san. You make me feel a little relieved.»
Frau tries to cheer up the depressed Marianne with some meat.
«Donât worry, Frau will take care of everything. Besides, there might be a chance that they might be enjoying this new continent, especially Soara.»
«Soara-san⊠You are right. Sheâs a very bold person, Iâm sure sheâs still alive. And I have a feeling sheâs making a lot of money now.»
Oh, so Marianne thinks the same as me. I canât imagine a situation where sheâs dead either.
Iâm sure sheâs still out there somewhere saying; «I am the one lived by God, bow down to me» Or something like that.
«I canât believe Iâm sitting at the same table as the man of my dreams, Toru-dono. I guess this is what they call a date. Looks like I have a lot to write about in todayâs research journal.»
«With all due respect, Luvue-sama, this is just dinner. Itâs not really a date.»
«Huh?! How is it not!?»
«Iâm surprised youâre surprised.»
Luvue and the vice-captain were sitting in front of me, still acting the same as ever. Iâm relieved to see them like this.
Next to them was Monica, who was chatting happily with Kaede.
«Iâve always felt envious of how white, soft and fluffy your tail is, Kaede-san. Iâll surely feel like Iâm in paradise if I rest my head there~.»
«Monica, please donât tease my tail too much. Itâs a delicate areaâ Hmm!»
Monica buries her face in Kaedeâs tail.
Unlike Kaede, who hides her face with both hands in embarrassment, Monica wiggles her long ears, looking ecstatic.
«Hey, Monica, let go of my tail.»
«No, not yet. I havenât had enough of your tail.»
«A little consideration goes a long way.»
«No, itâs been so long since Iâve seen it, I want to feel it some more.»
«Monica-san~âŠÂ»
«Iâm of the same opinion. I also have the right to love and touch Kaede-sanâs tail.»
«Hueeh, Marianne-san too!?»
Kaede is very popular. How envious.
I stuffed a mouthful of boiled beans into my mouth.
Ah, itâs really good. The amount of salt is just right.
«The dwarvesâ sake is quite good.»
«Kyu»
«Huh? What do you mean Iâve had too much to drink? You worry too much. Frau has never had a problem with sake.»
Frau says very confidently.
The words; «Please tell me itâs a joke.» came out of my mouth.
And it seems that Panda thought the same, as he seems to have a worried look on his face.
I think sheâll be waking up with a hangover tomorrow.
«âŠHaaaah.»
I sat on the edge of the bed.
It had been a long time since Iâd had as much to drink as I had today. Normally I tend to control myself. But after Sain, I couldnât help but drown my thoughts in sake.
I didnât think he was still alive. This nightmare isnât over yet.
The battle between me and him is still raging.
«Master⊠Are you still awake?»
Kaede opens the door and enters.
«Whatâs wrong?»
«I was worried, so I came to check on you.»
She had a pained expression on her face.
Apparently, my sensitive slave knew what was going through my mind. I had gone out of my way not to worry her.
«Do you mind if I sit next to you?»
«Oh, sure, no problemâŠÂ»
Kaede slowly sat down next to me.
Her big golden eyes look closely at me.
This is a bit embarrassing.
«For now, this is the only thing I can doâŠÂ»
She releases some healing vibrations that soothe my mind.
I guess I was more mentally damaged than I thought.
Iâm ashamed to say I feel like Kaede knows me better than I do.
«Do you feel responsible for everything thatâs happened?»
«YesâŠÂ»
I thought I was done with him, but he got away with it.
Come to think of it, that guy has always had a lot of dumb luck. Luck is one of the most important factors for adventurers. No matter how strong you are, if your luck is bad, youâll quickly get sent straight to heaven.
Still, itâs pretty unexpected for him to come back from the dead.
«I feel much better, thank you.»
«You have nothing to thank me for. Iâll always be there for you.»
I gave Kaede a hug.
«W-well, Iâll be going now.»
Kaedeâs face turns red and she runs out of the room.
She opened the door, put one foot outside, then said; «Good night, Master.»
And then she closes the door.
«Good night, KaedeâŠÂ»
The next day, Kaede and I were summoned to the palace.
The representatives of all the countries were gathered there. By the way, as expected, Frau is hungover.
«Manyu Brigade. Please be seated.»
Prompted by Elohim, the Spirit Queen, who was present for some reason, we both took a seat.
The following people are present as well:
The King of Big-Gear.
The King of Galbaran.
The Queen of Jornen.
And lastly, the Acting King of Ainowa.
The King of Big-Gear spoke first.
«Thank you so much for coming from so far away. Now, let us begin the first Manyu Party Meeting.»
I couldnât help but laugh.
Why did they name it that? It sounds like a meeting to manage tourist sites.
Shouldnât a serial discussion about each countryâs defences have a better name?
«But first, let me ask you something, Spirit Queen. Since this is such an important gathering, shouldnât the King of Ainowa and the Queen of Petardaus personally be here?»
«The King of Ainowa is currently too ill to attend. And the Queen of Petardaus seems to have a strong reluctance to attend meetings led by other nations, or even by other races, and we have tried to persuade herâŠ. But we had no success.»
«She is an idiot. How dare she refuse a request as important as the Spirit Queenâs? This is a very important event that will determine the position of each country in the futureâŠ. As for the fairies, I donât have much information about them, so I guess itâs alright.»
The queen of Jornen hugged her heart cushion and let out a giggle. Behind her stood a bodyguard.
The King of Big-Gear cleared his throat and took the floor.
«I will get straight to the point. We have suffered many misfortunes because of the Demon King Rudra. Each of us already knows the reason why this has happened. Now is the time for us to unite in preparation for the second and third Rudras to come.»
«Of course it is, but are you sure these are the right people for the job?»
In response to King Galbaranâs words, all eyes focus on us.
Hey, whatâs going on? Why are they looking at us?
«The other day we talked about giving you a suitable reward.»
«No way.»
«We discussed it and decided to give the Manyu Brigade the newly chosen title âManyuâ, which goes beyond the titles of âHeroâ or âHeroineâ.»
Wait, what�
And why is Kaede smiling?
«I donât understand what this means.»
«Iâve created a new title.»
«HuhâŠÂ»
«A new title given to a hero that will be recognized by multiple nations. That is what the title «Manyu» will mean from now on.»
No, no, no.
I donât want to stand out.
«I told you I donât want any title.»
«I donât care. Iâll give it to you because I want to. And if you have a problem with that, Iâll have you executed.»
«Thatâs abuse of power.»
I donât want a title. It will only be a burden to me.
Let alone a new title bearing my partyâs name.
«Accept it. If you donât, youâll go to the guillotine.»
«Youâre very scary.»
A bracelet with four jewels is placed in front of me.
«This is a token of our gratitude. We will inform neighbouring countries about the title. It will take some time to spread, but Iâm sure the title âManyuâ will help you wherever you go.»
In the end, I begrudgingly accepted the title and the bracelet.
I have a feeling Iâm going to have nightmares tonight.
Paki pakiâŠ
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